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The implementation of
cooperative learning not only provides
face-to-face benefits but allows
students to have a meaningful stake in the learning process. By appointing
roles, each member has a valued responsibility and intervenes from time to time
to maximize knowledge flow. The teacher must endorse the role playing because it
perpetuates the trust and motivation to complete the
cooperative lesson.
The roles
substantiate what David and Roger Johnson term positive
interdependence.1(pp. 75-80), an extremely valuable element of
cooperative learning where members of a
group share common goals and perceive their individual contributions as
beneficial when completing tasks.2,3 Consequently, positive
interdependence results in members
of a group "encouraging and facilitating each other's efforts...to reach
the group's goals".4
An
important mission of a school is helping children recognize the relevance of
content areas and derive a sense of ownership while
mastering the material in their courses. Positive interdependence is a promoting
factor in this quest because the team works around a self-styled philosophical
statement, which holds the members to a standard while sharing resources and
executing roles. The roles should be rotated from time to time to sustain
novelty, allowing everyone a chance to serve in the most
significant capacity – as the leader, a role that builds
confidence and enhances self-esteem while delegating responsibilities and
organizing the learning process. The roles noticeably amplified the engagement
level in my classes when students were validated as purposeful agents in the
learning process.
Knowledge
acquisition and skill development that occurs during a role-directed cooperative lesson coincides with individuals
intervening to manage the academic task. Poised to carry out an assignment
requires the use of working memory, prioritizing, problem solving, and
implementation. Throughout the course of a school year listening to an extended
series of lectures does not do that as well as blending them with
cooperative assignments.
The roles
Leader
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Leads the discussion and facilitates the member roles
listed below. Provides feedback about the team’s progress. Makes comments to
individuals that make them feel valued. Follows the script of behavioral
objectives specified by the teacher. Encourages participation. The leader
assures that tasks are carried out successfully.
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Desks/
Folders
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Moves
the desks to positions used for collaborative work. Puts the desks back to original
position when specified by the teacher. Passes out materials and notebooks,
collects at the end, and places in a teacher-designated location.
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Recorder
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Takes attendance and keeps a record of the frequency of
responses from members (if required). Keeps a record of the progress of the
discussion from a teacher developed or published rubric. Communicates the
information to the leader.
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Summarizer/
Clarifier
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Gives
the group a summary of what occurred and clarifies when a member asks. The
leader is to call on this individual from time to
time.
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Checker
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Asks members of the group to give brief updates on
progress. Checks to see that everyone understands what is going on. The
leader is to call on this individual from time to
time.
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Reader
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Reads
summaries, group notes, or information from texts.
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Wildcard
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Assumes the role of any missing member or fills in as needed.
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A teacher
can add or delete from this list to meet instructional objectives and give
multiple roles to individuals.
The
roles are a critical element in the success of cooperative learning
Why? The
roles establish expectations to perform duties, and everyone, therefore, has an obligation to the group, its success,
and productivity – a key attribute of positive interdependence. It is all inclusive. Moreover, the roles intensify the
collective advocacy as students attend
to tasks. The teacher is not present to make clarifying statements, but the checker does, for instance, which leads
to higher levels of learning and achievement.5
Dave and
Roger Johnson found that the
functionality of a role allows the members to view teammates as instruments of
productivity because their efforts are required for the group to succeed. That is central to the success of
cooperative efforts because participants on teams, whether in sports, business,
or the classroom, thrive on the emerging collegiality and recognition from
teammates as valued contributors.
Once that
feeling is instilled, you will have smooth running and vibrant classes,
functional because the students know they will be accepted as treasured
individuals as they form an emotional bond through shared identity: We're all in this together. Each member,
therefore, is a depository of information derived from personal recollection or
from a researched source. All classroom activities have a goal and are viewed
attentively: lectures, labs, videos,
worksheets, and all group tasks.
The effort
is further intensified as members challenge assertions, draw conclusions from
tabled data, with the consequence being a more prolific means to facilitate
knowledge and answer difficult questions.
The
Johnsons believe that a
reward system built into the process amplifies motivation such as raising the score on an assignment,
extending free time to play games, or any age-appropriate carrot that the
students believe is tenable.
Furthermore,
higher analytical skills are used. Why? The successful inclusion of positive
interdependence promotes
attentiveness for extended
periods, maximizing the dopaminergic effect, and thus the plasticity associated with
rapidly assimilating facts and skills. Moreover, memory is amplified as
dendritic sprouting occurs in the
hippocampus as existing neuronal
patterns are stimulated, and along with it, the power of predictability,
nurturing "higher level reasoning and more frequent generation of new
ideas and solutions".1 (pp. 75-80)
The roles,
when coupled with the affirmations connected to positive interdependence, reinforce student effort and contributions. Having the
scripts, whether teacher or student devised, bolsters confidence and tolerance because everyone is
sending and receiving goodwill messages. It is novel and for several students,
a form of peer engagement that is thrilling. Studies reveal that when teachers
encourage this emotional reinforcement, achievement levels improve.4
What David
and Roger Johnson found in their
research is that the roles and positive interdependence provide the
necessary demonstrative outlet that students enjoy as they a) create trust
through validation, b) build emotional support, and c) resolve conflict and
controversy in a calm and
constructive manner.1 (pp. 75-80)
Robert
Sylwester, Emeritus Professor of Education at the University of
Oregon, feels that role playing benefits individuals in several ways:6
1. They learn to "accept themselves for
who they are and widen their temperamental bias"; (p.41)
2. The temperamental diversity profits the
group's productivity;
3. Stress is reduced because there is a
diminishment of exclusionary, 'power elite', status in this democratic setting,
offering enablement to socially disenfranchised children that are in desperate
search for respect and success. (p. 74)
Positive
interdependence, cognition, and tolerance
Furthermore,
well-structured group lessons include decision-making in the realm of time
management, resisting impulses to be distracted by other nonacademic concerns,
and remaining attentive while the objectives are completed. "It is through prolonged cooperative
interaction that healthy social development occurs".1 (pp.
75-80)
It is
important that the directions, usually written on the handout, are clear and
devoid of mistakes (numbers and symbols typically used in math and science
courses) because time will be spent ascertaining the relevance of the incorrect
information.
In
addition, you can verify the inclusiveness of the session by giving a brief
individual quiz when the seats are put back in the rows configuration. The
instructor may opt to have the team quiz grade be derived from the average of
the members.
Collaborative
lessons can range from simple assignments to long term reports. The process
varies, therefore, and the students must understand your expectations, dole out
responsibilities, and manage their time.
Another
key element in positive interdependence is the use of
comments from members as they perform tasks. Furthermore, the advocacy of the members
heightens the collaborative process. Praise and admonishments are validating, and inspire the completion of tasks and
participation, reinforcing effort and companionship in a purposeful manner.
They often do not know what words to use, and the table gives them a sizable
list from which to construct.
It is in
this environment that students feel comfortable taking risks, challenging one
another during a lesson, nurturing critical thinking, strategizing, and
promoting long-term retention of material. Furthermore, the feedback affects the mirror
neuronal system as students observe visual cues such as facial gestures and body language,
hear statements that promote inclusiveness, and encourage completion of tasks.
Crucial, too, is that this inclusiveness includes validation as they build
camaraderie.
Spencer
Kagan, renowned author and
professor of psychology and education at the University of California Berkeley,
comments that:
Whenever we set
students in a situation in which there is a positive correlation of outcomes ….
students are friendlier, caring, and the overall classroom tone is enhanced.7
Of
immense value to the child is that they acknowledge inclusiveness, receiving
positive peer recognition, fostering
relationships that transcend learning and develop collegiality and tolerance across ethnic
backgrounds, culture, social class, and gender.
The use of the scripts (student or
teacher-devised) during a collaborative effort sustains novelty, is the catalyst that nurtures a
spirited and engaged environment, and likely the most validating element of a lesson.
I draw a
parallel with the rough-and-tumble and explorative play in childhood because
peer interactions in the classroom generate a level of novelty that borders on
thrill. The play you see at
playground or shopping mall venues involve physical, but socially modulated
encounters that teach and reinforce self-control, in public settings.
Validation is also central in
structured cooperative learning due to the roles and positive interdependence employed.
The Star Performer
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Positive interdependence can produce successful leadership skills in young
people. Alex Pentland, computer science professor at The Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, asserts in his book Social
Physics: How Good Ideas Spread-The Lessons from a New Science, that
productive teams are likely to have a 'star' performer. These are individuals
that do not see their role as pushing one idea
but building a team that encourages a diverse number of opinions, leading to
a creative solution to a problem through consensus.
They empower everyone toward
joint ownership through goal setting, group commitments, work activities,
setting the agenda, and group accomplishments ……. promoted synchronization,
uniform idea flow within the team making everyone feel a part of it.7
It is this persona the leader role should emulate. I
found that various students had leadership skills and charisma
upon entering my course, in some instances, two or more were in a single
class! Utilize these people and allow them to role-model the same skills to
the others.
The synchrony activates the reward cycle because of the
release of the feel-good endorphins, natural opiates when people do things together such as
rowing and dancing.8 He found this to be relevant in his
sociometer studies in many
business settings where the repetition of cooperative interactions improves
the social welfare of the group. There is no reason to believe that this
cannot occur in schools where members in the cooperative setting admonish and
praise one another. Many teachers have found this to be true in their
classrooms.
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While
cooperative learning is discussed in this book as a method to elicit
attentiveness along with specific guidelines for successful
inclusion, several authors have published an abundance of lesson plan
procedures for teachers. Here are two that do that well:
·
Johnson, D., Johnson, R., Learning together and alone, cooperation,
competition, and individualization. Allyn and Bacon, 1999
·
Barkley, E., Cross, K., Collaborative Learning Techniques: A
Handbook for College Faculty Paperback, Jossey-Bass, 2004
Script
Version 1
Directions for students: Devise script statements in the
blanks to use during your group sessions that will provide motivation, correction, support, and value clarification. Samples are
given below or create your own.
•
________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________
• ________________________________________________
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References
1. Johnson, R.,
(1999). Learning Together and Alone, 5th Edition, Needham Heights, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
2. Johnson, R.,
Johnson, D., Holubec, E., (1998). Cooperation in the Classroom. Boston:
Allyn and Bacon. 4, 7–8.
3. Choi, J.,
Johnson, D., Johnson, R., (2001). Relationships Among Cooperative Learning
Experiences, Social Interdependence, Children’s Aggression, Victimization, and
Prosocial Behaviors. Journal of Applied
Social Psychology 41 (4): 976–1003.
4. Johnson, R.,
Johnson, D., (2009). An Educational Psychology Success Story: Social
Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning, Educational Researcher 38 (5): 366–367.
5. Rosenshine,
B., Stevens, R., (1986). Teaching Functions, Handbook of research on
teaching (3rd ed) 376-391. New York: Macmillan.
6. Sylwester, R.,
(2003). A Biological Brain in a Cultural Classroom,
Corwin Press.
7. Kagan, S.,
(2007). The Two Dimensions of Positive Interdependence,
Retrieved
from:
http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/299/The-Two-Dimensions-of-Positive-Interdependence
8. Pentland, A.,
(2014). Social Physics: How Good Ideas
Spread-The Lessons from a New Science, Penguin Press.
Script
Version 2
Directions for
students: Devise script statements in the blanks to use during your group
sessions
Team Name
_______________________________
How we will treat
each other during group sessions
•
________________________________________________
Praise comments
•
________________________________________________
•
________________________________________________
Words of correction
•
________________________________________________
•
________________________________________________
Words of
encouragement & gratefulness
•
________________________________________________
•
________________________________________________
Our team's philosophy
•
________________________________________________
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